


Christmas Moonshine

by Crazyeight



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Adulting is hard, Attempted Kissing, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Head Bump, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:40:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27804721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyeight/pseuds/Crazyeight
Summary: Rika is celebrating getting accepted into university. In the process, she celebrates a little too much and invites over a certain Gogglehead for some bread and gift giving.
Relationships: Makino Ruki | Rika Nonaka/Matsuda Takato | Takato Matsuki
Comments: 10
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

The wine bottle clinked lightly against the glass as Rumiko Nonaka began to pour. The smooth, rich, deep red liquid sloshed about the bottom, swirling wildly as the wine level rose. Rumiko's eyes flickered away from the glass. Her lips curved into a proud smile.

"Say when."

Across from the woman, her daughter, Rika watched the glass uncertainly. A part of her wondered how much was too much for herself. Having never drank a drop of alcohol before, she had no idea what her tolerance levels were. She glanced back and forth between her mother and the wine glass, feeling an odd sense of competitiveness rise up within her as the red liquid rose above the halfway point. She knew her mother could handle much more than this. She wanted to prove that she could do the same. So, she waited until the wine was near the top.

"When," she said, and Rumiko expertly tipped the bottle back, allowing only a single crimson drop to join the rest of its kindred below before settling back and taking up another wine glass.

"Now, remember, Rika," she said with a warning tone as she began to pour. "Not all at once. This is pretty strong and you're not used to it. Start slow and don't rush things."

"I think I get the gist of it," Rika _hmphed_ , taking hold of the wine glass by its thin stem. "I've seen you drink this stuff enough times."

"Yes, but I'm older and more experienced," Rumiko replied with a smirk, tipping the bottle back and handing it to the older, brown-haired woman sitting next to her. "You ought to listen to wisdom when it speaks."

_What's so special about drinking wine that it needs wisdom?_

Rika bit back the sarcastic response, not wanting to accidently upset the evening. Instead, she cast an amused look at the older woman – her grandmother, Seiko Hata – who simply smiled.

"She has the right of it, you know."

"Terrific," Rika sighed. "I'll be sure to remember that the next time I join a drinking tournament. Slow sips win the race."

_"Rika!"_

The girl grimaced at the scolding tone and her eyes flickered up to its owner. Seated next to her was a golden-furred, foxlike creature with striking, blue eyes. Renamon. Her digimon partner, best friend and 'sister,' at least in Rika's mind.

"Sorry," she apologized. Feeling a slight blush of shame in her cheeks, she shifted uncomfortably on her cushion. Rumiko chuckled and began to pour another drink.

"Well, since tonight's a big night for you, I think we can let it pass. Just like we're letting this pass as well."

"Are you still sure you want to drink?" Seiko asked.

"Mom!" Rumiko laughed. "We already discussed this!"

"If by 'discuss' you mean rush to the wine cabinet as soon as you heard the news…"

Rumiko again tipped the bottle back and passed the glass over to Renamon, who took it in her claws gingerly. The vulpine digimon's tail swished behind her.

"Oh, come on now. It's not a bad idea for my little girl to cut loose once in a while. Especially when there are things to celebrate. She's earned it. Besides, we're here to watch her in case she has a little too much." She beamed at her daughter expectantly. Rika shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's not really my thing, so I'm not worried about 'too much,'" she said. She offered her mother a reluctant smile. It was true enough. Unlike some people she knew, she had never been tempted to try a drop of alcohol. A part of her wanted to push back on this as well, but at the same time, she liked seeing her mother happy and didn't want to cast a shadow over the evening.

"Well, maybe it's a taste you'll acquire." Rumiko set to pouring herself a glass now. "It usually is. Besides, you're an adult now. It's not a bad idea for you to get a taste of what being an adult is like before you head off to university. You'll have the experience and you can decide if it's something you like or not. And just in case it is…" She set the bottle down and lifted the glass. "Everything in moderation. You don't want to go overboard. Believe me, the hangovers are _not_ worth it. Neither are the missing memories for that matter."

"Right." Rika looked down doubtfully at the glass and lifted it up. Seiko and Renamon both took up theirs as well and as one the little family brought them together with a musical _clink._

"Congratulations on getting into university."

Rika felt a glow of pride as she drew the glass to her lips. University. She was done with her old school, the Kagurazaka Girls Academy. No more uniforms. No more stuck-up classmates. She could now go and make her own way in the world. Choose her own life.

 _Even though I still haven't really figured out what I want to do yet,_ she thought, but she pushed such concerning thoughts to the side. Now was not the time to worry about such things. Now was a time for celebration. The wine glass touched her lips and her nose twitched at the strong, fruity scent. The liquid smoothly slid into her mouth and she found herself almost choking at the sudden, unexpected warmth that followed. She clenched her eyes shut and dipped her head back, clenching a fist tightly. She found herself aware that all attention was on her, waiting to see what her reaction would be. She swallowed a bit more, resisting the urge to cough as the wine seemed to _dance_ and prick against the back of her mouth. The warmth flowed through her, causing a light blush to rise in her cheeks.

Another swallow, this one going down a little easier, and then she drew the glass back, setting it down. She looked back and forth between her mother, grandmother and Renamon.

"Well? What? Is that all there is to it?"

Rumiko chuckled.

"Everyone says that after the first sip," she said. "Believe me. It's the rest that comes _after_ that makes all the difference."

"Give me a break," Rika scoffed, leaning her chin into her free hand. "I've seen hamsters with more bite than this. What about you, Renamon?"

The golden-furred kitsune swirled the remains of her own drink in the glass thoughtfully before answering.

"Well, it almost has as much punch as an energy drink. The packaging at least is nicer."

"So nothing to be concerned about," Rika laughed, and then, to prove her metal, took another, deeper draught. The heat rushed into her stomach like a lead weight. Setting the glass down, she frowned slightly. She didn't feel any different.

 _Shouldn't I be a little bit drunk now?_ She wondered if another drink would give her an answer.

She looked at the glass for a moment before deciding to test the theory. Another drink, this one longer than the previous two, and she set it back down.

"How are you feeling?" Seiko asked. Rika sniffed and took a deep breath. The buzzing warmth crept through her body, making its way out from her stomach and chest and into her limbs, loosening tension she hadn't realized had been there. It felt…nice. Pleasant even.

"Well, I feel pretty relaxed now," she said, giving her grandmother a small smile. "How about you, Renamon?"

The vulpine digimon looked at the wine in contemplation, tapping a claw upon the surface of the table.

"I feel…much the same," she said carefully. "I don't think I'll be having much more of this though. If a digimon were to bio-emerge I would prefer to be in full control of myself."

"That's understandable," Seiko smiled with a nod. Rumiko however, huffed.

"Can't the digital world just relax for even a _little_ bit," she grumbled. "All work and no play makes my daughter and her partner dull girls."

"I find other ways to have fun," Rika said, deciding to take just _one_ more sip. She ran a tongue along her lips, enjoying the taste of the wine. Despite the dry, rough texture, it was quite sweet. Just the way she liked it even. "I'm not like you, Mom."

"That much is obvious," Rumiko replied with amusement, leaning her head into her hand. "Well, just as long as you find some time to relax and let it all hang loose, I suppose nothing's bad. I just wish you had more opportunity to enjoy the finer things in life without always having to be on guard, you know?"

Rika looked down, thinking about all the good times she had with her friends and how often they had been interrupted by one emergency after another. She wondered how the others would be able to handle things without her. They were stretched pretty thin now due to their already tight, shaky schedules making coordination between one another difficult. As it was, she hardly ever saw Henry anymore and he would soon be going overseas upon graduation. Takato and Jeri were really the only ones she could find time for – _wanted_ to find time for really, if she were being honest – and that wasn't a whole lot. Certainly far from what she would prefer.

 _Takato…_ She traced a fingernail along the rim of her glass, thinking about that goggle-wearing boy and the light, crimson blush coloring her features deepened as a small smile curved along her lips. A surprising need to see her friend again made itself known to her and she held it in her mind thoughtfully with the mental image of the boy's face. A soft swelling of affection rose and she found herself digging her cellphone out of her pocket.

"You know what would go really well with this?" she said, perusing her contacts list. "Freshly baked bread."

Rumiko began to rise. "I think we still have some in the kitchen…"

"I said _freshly_ baked bread, Mama," Rika said, finding the number to Takato's bakery and hitting the dial button. "I'm not settling for second best tonight."

Rumiko, Seiko and Renamon all exchanged looks at this.

"Oh dear," Renamon sighed, deciding to take another sip from her glass after all.

**###**

Takato stood at the cash register, finishing up with an order when the door to the bakery slid open. Looking up, the mop-haired teen smiled brightly as he saw a familiar pair of faces come marching in. Dark-haired, grey-eyed with tan skin and an easygoing smile on his face. Henry Wong marched up to him, a large paper bag held in one hand. On his shoulder sat a much smaller, stout creature with cream-colored fur, long, droopy ears and round, black eyes. A Santa hat sat on his head, hiding the single-horn on his forehead.

"Hey! Takatomon!" the long-eared digimon called exuberantly. "How's it hanging?"

"Hey you guys," Takato greeted with a grin. "What brings you here?"

"I'm going to be going to Hong Kong with my family in a couple days," Henry replied. "I figured I'd drop by and pay my respects while I still could. I've got presents for you and Guilmon."

"Homemade bread for Guilmon," Terriermon grinned. "Well, homemade as in made at _our_ home instead of here."

"Which you kept trying to eat, I might add."

"Well, you _had_ to give it peanut butter and chocolate filling. My paws kept getting sticky with the stuff."

"I'm almost afraid to find out what mine is now," Takato laughed. "Man, I wish I knew you guys were leaving. I'm not done yet making your presents." He scratched the side of his cheek in embarrassment. "I…kind of got a little hung up making Rika's."

"All's forgiven," Terriermon giggled. "We know how often you get hung up on _anything_ to do with Rika nowadays."

"Terriermon…" Henry scolded as a bright blush suddenly bloomed to life on Takato's face.

"Momentai!" the long-eared digimon giggled again. "At least he's not denying it anymore. He's not going to confess if we keep pretending he's not interested in her. I'm doing him a favor by helping him confront his feelings!"

"Right." Henry looked back at Takato, who was busily going over receipts from the last few orders and trying to ignore Terriermon's insinuations. "Anyway," the half-Chinese Tamer resumed, "we'll be back after Christmas, so you should have plenty of time to finish up."

"I hope so," Takato said. "There's not a whole lot of time before you leave for…uh… Stanford, did you say it was?"

"Yeah, but I'll still drop by to visit. Don't worry, Takato."

"He should be worried." chimed in Terriermon, crossing his tiny arms together. "What's he going to do without _me_ here to help him out?"

Takato wordlessly rubbed the back of his head once again, not sure what to say to that. The subject of Henry's leaving to continue his education in the United States was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow and only served to remind him of the growing gulf that kept he and his friends from seeing one another on the regular basis that they had prior to entering high school. The thought, as always, left him sober.

 _Rika will probably get into a good university too,_ he thought. _She's always been at the top of her class. Pretty soon, it's going to be me, Guilmon, Kazu and Guardromon protecting the city._

Takato wondered if his own attending university would be worth it. He was still waiting to hear if he had been accepted, but Digimon continued to pop up like always. Consequently, he had the feeling that his grades were unlikely to handle the strain that Shinjuku's safety would demand from him. But what else was there to do? Yamaki was working something out while he organized his new agency, Nyx, but nothing was certain. The government was still in disagreement about whether or not there ought to be a program inducting the Tamers – current or future – to be trained for handling digital anomalies.

"-ello? Takatomonnn… What's up with you? Are you listening?"

Takato's head jerked, realizing Terriermon had been saying something to him. "Huh? Sorry. What's up?"

"It's about time. Sheesh." Terriermon shook his head. "I was asking where Guilmon was. Usually he's out front being a walking advertisement, but he wasn't there."

"Oh!" Takato laughed. "Mom and Dad are in the kitchen teaching him to make bread. Well, teaching him to make _better_ bread than what he's learned so far."

"How's that going?" Henry asked, taking a pair of packages out from his bag and setting them on the counter. As if in answer, there came a low, clanging sound followed by the ringing of a phone. The ringing was abruptly cut off and was swiftly followed up by more clanging, this time unmistakably the sound of pans hitting the floor as Guilmon made a howling sound.

"Doesn't sound like it's going well," Terriermon observed.

Before Takato could respond or even go investigate, the phone by the register rang.

"Ah… Just a second," he said, picking up the phone while holding up an index finger to his friends. "Matsuki Bakery. How can I help you?"

_"Well, you can start by bringing me fresh bread, Gogglehead."_

Takato's eyes went wide at the familiar, commanding voice. A wide smile broke across his face and he felt his heart start to speed up a little.

 _"Rika?!_ Hey! It's been so long! How are…?"

 _"Did you listen to me?"_ she interrupted. _"The clock is ticking. You. My house. Bread. You know the kind I like. I'll see you soon."_

The line abruptly went dead, causing Takato to stare at it, blinking in confusion.

"What…just happened?"

"It sounded like she was giving you marching orders," Terriermon said, his ears shifting.

"Hey now, it's not nice to listen in on someone else's conversation," chided Henry.

"But I couldn't help it! My ears are _huge_ and Rika really didn't try to keep it down or anything." He tapped a paw against his chin, his round, black eyes frowning thoughtfully. "She sounded kind of weird, even for her. I wonder what's up?"

"I guess she really wants bread," Takato replied, scratching at the side of his head. He felt Terriermon was on to something. Rika had sounded a little bit off.

_When was the last time she just told me to show up at her place and expected me to be there, no questions asked? It's weird._

Still, orders were orders, and he couldn't deny that it was as good an excuse as any to see Rika again. Stepping away from the cash register, he entered the kitchen area.

"Mom! Dad! I need to make a delivery to Rika's… _Whaaa!_

Takato stood stock still at the door leading to the kitchen, eyes wide and frozen with horror. Takehiro, his father, approached, covered head to toe with flour and an amused grin on his face.

"Taking off, kiddo?" he said, planting a hand on his son's shoulder and giving it a meaningful squeeze. "Better take Guilmon with you. And…uh…" His shoulders rose and fell as he attempted to hold in laughter. "…take your time."

Takato stood there for a moment longer while Guilmon slinked out from behind the boy's father. The crimson dinosaur's head was downcast and batwing ears were wilted with guilt.

"Ah… Takatomon?" he asked while Takehiro gave him a concerned look.

"You okay, son?"

Takato finally jerked.

"H-How…?" he began to stammer out while, behind him, Terriermon poked his head out from behind his legs. His mouth fell open in awe at what little he could see around everyone's legs.

"Whoa. I didn't think bread dough could _do_ that to a wall. Or have such weird colors."

"Terriermon…" came Henry's sigh, yanking his partner back by the ear.

"Er…" Takehiro glanced over at the stairwell leading to the upstairs nervously. "Seriously. Get Guilmon out of here. I'll try to clean things up before Mie…"

"Before I what?" came the voice of Mie as she emerged from the stairwell. She gave her husband a hard look, noting his and Guilmon's disheveled appearances. "This better not have anything to do with all that noise I heard from up there!"

Guilmon shrank back fearfully, his claws going to his mouth where he immediately began to suckle them like a pacifier.

"Oh boy…" he whimpered.

**###**

Snowflakes made their slow, winding dance down to the streets as Takato, Henry, Guilmon and Terriermon made their way through Rika's neighborhood. Of all of them, Guilmon was in a sorrowful mood, and with good reason.

"Takatomon… Do you think your mom will let me back into the kitchen?" he asked. Takato winced. The damage in the kitchen hadn't been horribly bad. At least, not as bad as it appeared at first glance. It didn't change the fact that there had been a mess made in the first place that would take considerable time to clean up and even repair. Convincing his mom, if he were being honest, was as close to impossible as one could get after an incident like that. He didn't want to lie to protect the Rookie digimon's feelings, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave him utterly without hope either.

"I'd give it a couple of months to let her simmer down," he suggested, adjusting his grip on the bag of bread he held. Atop the pile of bread, there lay a small package, glinting in the streetlight.

"A couple of months?" Terriermon asked with a giggle. "More like several decades. _After_ your mom's gone senile."

"Now, now," Henry warned. "Be a good Santa's little helper."

"What? Momentai! It's not my fault if Guilmon gets a stocking full of coal this year after the mess he made, is it?"

"Ohhh…" Guilmon hung his head. "Terriermon's right. I'm never going to be able to help out in the bakery." Pausing in his stride, the poor, crimson dinosaur threw his head back and let out a loud, mournful howl.

"Ah! Guilmon!" cried Takato, half afraid of the kind of attention they might draw with his partner's howling. "C'mon! Don't be like that! When we get home, I promise that I'll talk to Mom and work things out!"

"Momentai! I'll even help out," Terriermon chimed in. Henry gave him a suspicious look.

"You mean make things worse?"

"Well, I can't really make things any worse than they already are right now. Besides, I don't want to see Guilmon banned from the kitchen. How else would I be able to get him to make _me_ bread?"

"Should have known you had an ulterior motive…" Henry chuckled.

"Hey, a digimon knows another digimon's stomach best. And besides, it's not like he poisoned anyone the last time he made bread, right?"

"True…"

Takato patted his partner's head as they resumed their trek and allowed a small smile to cross his face. The incident back home aside, he was rather glad for the excuse to get out of the house so he could see Rika again.

_Man, it sure feels like forever since I last saw her. She's been studying hard for months to get into university. I hope she gets her first choice. I wonder how she's doing…_

His thoughts trailed off as an excited flutter of butterflies flew up from his stomach and through his heart, causing him to grow warm with nerves. Seeing Rika again would be difficult, much as it had been for the last couple of years since he found himself developing a crush on her. It had begun so innocently in fact. Calling her 'Nonaka-san' out of the blue one day, which earned him a round of chastisement from the girl in question. He wouldn't have noticed it if not for Rika's own attentiveness to the rather odd detail, as she often did with many of his odd details. Thinking on it afterward, he remembered how he had done the same with Jeri for a time back when he had first begun to fall for her. A way of 'distancing himself' from her in an attempt to hide his growing feelings.

Unfortunately for him, he had never been able to hide things from Rika very well and thanks to her, he couldn't hide it from himself either. That first year had been difficult. Fumble-mouthed, fumble-footed, and a blushing mess as he attempted to reconcile his feelings for the girl he had been friends with for years. Jeri had helped him with it. He felt guilty, as they had circled each other for years as well with unreconciled feelings, but she was happy for him and made it a point to remind him that she had been the one to turn him down in the end.

_"I just know that you'll make Rika happy. You two are perfect for one another."_

Takato pressed his lips together doubtfully at the memory of her encouragement. _Perfect? Yeah right. She's perfect, while I'm…well…not. There's no way she sees me in that way. I mean, why would she? She hasn't said anything or done anything to suggest otherwise. Besides. If she were to be with anyone, it'd probably be someone like Henry. Or even Ryo, when he visits._

That was the luck of Takato Matsuki, he felt. But that was fine. She was one of his best friends after all, and was more than fine with her not liking him back. As long as they were friends, all was right with the world.

They arrived at Rika's home in short order and Takato knocked on the door. They waited for a minute before the sound of footsteps came to their ears and a moment later the door swung open, revealing the fire-haired girl, pale as moonlight and with shining violet eyes. Takato felt his face heat up immediately as her gaze fell on him.

"You're late," she said sternly, folding her arms together. Takato grinned cheesily, more than used to Rika's antics. She always said he was late now, no matter how on time he actually was. It was her way of taking control of the situation by putting him on a defensive footing.

"Hey, Rika," he chuckled awkwardly, holding out the bag for her to take. She did so and just then took notice of Henry and Terriermon's presence.

"What are you two goofballs doing here?"

"Making sure Takatomon here didn't get lost on the way here," Terriermon giggled as Henry held out a bag of his own. Lifting an eyebrow, the girl took it and looked inside.

"What's this for? You didn't fall in love with me and come here to confess, did you?" she asked, a sudden note of hostility in her voice. Henry raised an eyebrow of his own at that and shook his head. Rika had a habit of jumping right into things.

"Actually, we came to give you your Christmas presents before we left for Hong Kong. Your timing was just good."

"Takato left a little present for you as well in the bread bag," Terriermon said, winking at the other boy. Takato felt heat begin to rise in his face again and he shifted uneasily.

"I-It's not a big deal. A-And I didn't fall in love with you either."

He half-croaked on that last sentence and he immediately cursed himself mentally for having said it. Why did he feel the need to reassure her about his feelings by pretending he didn't have any?

In his introspection, he missed the look of disappointment on her face. One that was quickly replaced by a more inspective look. Takato hummed nervously as the blush in his cheeks grew even warmer under her violet gaze. Her eyes narrowed and after a moment she let out an uncharacteristic giggle.

"You're such a gogglehead," she said, digging into the bag of bread to fish out Takato's present to her. "As if you can fool me when you keep looking away like that."

"She's got you figured out, Takatomon," grinned Terriermon as Takato's eyes grew wide in half panic. Guilmon sniffed the air.

"I've _always_ got him figured out," Rika hummed, unwrapping Takato's present to her. She soon revealed a small ball of yellow fuzz with a tail and ears attached to a violet loop. Turning it over, a pair of blue eyes had been sewn on to it, similar to Renamon. She looked up at the boy.

"Did you make this?" she asked.

"I…ah…thought you might like something for your new phone," Takato said, rubbing the back of his head. "But yeah. I thought you might like the personal touch more than if I went out and bought something like it from a store."

Rika looked back down at the small gift, her expression softening. Taking a step toward the boy, the bags in her hands crinkled as she suddenly embraced him.

"Thank you," she whispered and then, much to Takato's surprise, she kissed him on the cheek. It was light and gentle, yet his skin prickled all the same at her unexpected show of affection. Heat flushed Takato's face as she stepped away, leaving Terriermon to watch them rather bewildered. Henry watched in consideration, a slight frown to his face.

"Wow, Takato," Terriermon said after a pregnant pause. "I was wrong about you. You _are_ a lady's man after all."

"What's he going on about?" Rika asked, shifting her grip on the bags.

"N-Nothing!" Takato insisted, his mind doing its best to rally from the curveball Rika had just sent his way. Already, he was replaying the feel of her in his arms. The touch of her soft lips against his cheek. The sparkle in her eye and the way she looked up at him when she saw the gift he had made for her.

"Doesn't sound like nothing," she said, her eyes swinging back around to him. "You want to clue me in here, or do I have to guess?"

_Oh man, I could use a distraction right about now…_

"I smell something weird," Guilmon announced suddenly.

 _Oh, thank goodness!_ Takato breathed a sigh of relief, only for it to be immediately followed by, _Wait, what?_

"You're _always_ smelling something weird," said Terriermon. "So, what else is new?"

"Well…" Guilmon continued to follow his nose and padded up to Rika, who pulled back.

"Hey! Claws away from the bread, Dinoboy! This is mine!"

Takato's raised an eyebrow at this rather possessive behavior and he glanced over at Henry.

"Oh, I don't want that." He sniffed again, this time loud and long and then pointed a claw at Rika. _"You_ smell funny. Like… Like…" He tapped a claw against his chin thoughtfully. "Like, I don't know. But I know I've smelled it before."

Rika glowered at the dinosaur. ""I do _not_ smell funny. Your nose is lying to you, Dino boy."

"Ah...? My nose can do that?"

"G-Guilmon!" Grabbing hold of his partner, Takato pulled him back, all the while laughing nervously. "S-So…ah… H-How've you been doing, Rika?"

"I'm fine," Rika smiled. "I got into my choice of university so I've been celebrating with my mom and grandma." Her eyes softened as they fell upon Takato again. "That's when I thought of you. I figured seeing you and getting some fresh bread would make my night complete." Her smile slipped just then. "I…um…don't have any Christmas presents for you guys though… Not yet anyway."

"That's fine," said Henry. "We know you've been busy. We're glad to hear that your hard work paid off."

"Like that's an excuse," Rika _hmphed._ "You two stay right there. I'm sure I've got something for you boys."

Whirling about, she rushed toward her house and disappeared around the corner of the porch toward the back where her room was. Puffs of breath rose up from their mouths as they waited in the chill of the evening.

"Well… She's sure full of energy," Takato noted.

"She's got reason to be," Henry shrugged with a smile. "I felt much the same way when I got accepted into Stanford. By the way, have you heard back anything yet?"

Takato immediately became glum. "No," he admitted. "Not yet. But I'm not real sure about my chances or even if it's a good idea. Digimon keep popping up around here and somebody's got to keep them in line. School…makes it hard to do that. And I'm going to have to choose between keeping people safe or keeping my grades up."

"Don't sweat it," Terriermon said. "I bet Yamaki's going to get his special government agency all set up, so you'll have nothing to worry about. Well, except for wild digimon that is."

"Do you want to work for Yamaki?" Henry asked. Takato hesitated before nodding.

"I trust him and all I've ever wanted to do was to be a Tamer. I just wish things were a bit more certain, that's all."

Henry nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm pretty sure that you'll continue to be great at being a Tamer. I don't think you have too much to worry about there."

"I hope so," Takato said as Rika came running back around the house. With almost ghostly speed, she raced up the path to the gate and ground to a halt, not looking the least bit winded.

"Henry," she said, handing the boy a card. Henry took it and his eyes grew wide.

"Hey! Isn't that…?" began Terriermon.

"The card I won off him when we were kids," Rika said with a touch of smug to her voice. "I figured it was about time he got it back." She smirked. "Take it as a reminder to _never_ bet against the Digimon Queen."

"No more reminders needed," Henry laughed, pocketing the card. Although he didn't have much use for it anymore for lack of playing the game associated with it, the old, battered _MegaGargomon_ card held immense sentimental value. "Thanks, Rika."

"No problem. Now, as for _you,_ Gogglehead…"

Takato swallowed nervously as she approached him. Raising her hands, she held out a piece of cloth for him to take. Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, he took it and unfurled it. His mouth fell open a second later. It was the shirt she wore when they were kids. Her old shirt with a whole, unbroken heart emblazoned on the chest. Battered. Worn. The odd hole in some places. It told a tale of its many months of service before finally being retired. Yet Rika kept it when all other articles of clothing had been thrown out or given away. It was her 'good luck charm,' as she said. The many scrapes she narrowly avoided being seriously hurt in certainly led credibility to the notion.

"I figured you might like having some of my good luck," Rika said, crossing her arms together and shifting her weight to one foot. "I know you need it more than I do. And… And I figured that maybe you might want a reminder of me close by."

"To have something to cuddle with in case he gets scared or lonely?" Terriermon quipped from Henry's shoulder. Both boys' eyes went wide with horror at the implications of his partner's choice of words.

"Terriermon!" Henry exclaimed.

"What? Well what _else_ is he going to use it for?"

Rika, for a wonder, was unphased.

"Sure, why not?" she shrugged before smirking at Takato. "Little boy's need their teddy bears, don't they?"

Takato blinked, feeling the heat rise up in his face. "Wait, whaaa…?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Terriermon chimed in, equally perplexed by that unexpected response – one of the confusing many that had cropped up since their arrival here. Rika tended to react rather poorly to his jibes and insinuations after all and for her to not rise to one such as this spoke volumes. Rika's smirk however broadened. Stepping closer to Takato, she flicked her fingers across his chest.

"You'd better be waiting for me when I get back, got it? I won't forgive you if you start seeing other girls."

An almost deathly silence filled the street as Takato blinked again. Terriermon blinked, for once finding himself at a loss for words. Henry looked at Rika as if she had grown a second head, grey eyes wide with increasing disbelief.

"Henry…?" Terriermon began carefully. "Did…Did Christmas come early for me or something? Did I get the date wrong? Because this is just _too_ good."

Henry shook his head, not at all certain what was going on here. Rika sounded as though she wanted to monopolize Takato for herself.

_First the kiss and now this? What's going on here?_

A question that most certainly was echoed in Takato's mind right that very moment.

"Uh…Rika? Are you feeling all right?" Takato asked uncertainly, the crimson in his face returning full force. He forced on a smile, his mind at war with itself. A part of him was glad to hear what sounded like interest in him on her part, but all the long years of her showing no interest in him sat heavily in the back of his mind.

 _Where's Renamon?_ he found himself wondering.

Before he could pursue such concerns, Rika's hand gripped the front of his jacket suddenly.

"Whaa-ohhh!" he stammered out as she abruptly yanked him toward her, much to Henry's growing distiress. Their faces were inches apart now. Her eyes, brilliant orbs of violet midnight, bore angrily into his crimson ones. Her breath came out in slight puffs and Takato had just enough time to pick up a slight whiff of something sharp on her breath.

"You're so stupid," she growled darkly at him. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Gogglehead! You _never_ understand my feelings unless I spell them out for you!"

Her mouth twisted angrily and she pushed towards him, angling her face as her lips parted slightly. Takato's eyes went bug-wide as realization dawned on him. The smell on her breath. Her odd behavior. It all came to him in one second and the boy jerked instinctively in a bid to break her hold on him before things could go too far. Consequently, she tightened her grip and pulled him toward her roughly again, refusing to let him escape.

The end result was a dull _clunk_ as their heads collided accidently with one another, sending them both staggering backward. Rika clutched at her forehead, half in a daze while the other half fumed with smoldering anger at his last-minute jerking motion. Her eyes shone brightly and lowering her hand, she started toward Takato once again. It was at that moment, Renamon materialized behind the girl and placed a warning paw on her shoulder, drawing her up short.

"I think that's enough for one night," she said. "I imagine that they need to get back home soon." Her azure eyes swung up at the two boys and a stunned, gaping Terriermon meaningfully. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah…" Takato massaged the spot on his forehead where he and Rika had bumped into each other, his brain having not quite caught up with what was going on now. Henry, fortunately, clasped his forearm and began to draw him back.

"Y-Yeah," the half-Chinese Tamer acknowledged with a forced smile. "An _excellent_ idea."

"No… No!" Terriermon began, finally recovering. "That's a _terrible_ idea. Henry, we may never get another…"

Henry clamped a tight hand about his partner's mouth, reducing him to a series of muffled protests. Takato, having finally recovered, gazed at Rika in confusion and sadness. He fumbled for something to say.

"Um… I-I hope you like your present?"

He immediately kicked himself mentally. That clearly wasn't the right thing to say. A disappointed look crossed her features and with a _hmph,_ she turned around and stalked back into her yard, slamming the gate shut behind her with a loud _clack._

Henry let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"Not…exactly how I thought things would go…"

"That's what I was trying to _say!"_ Terriermon exclaimed, finally breaking free from his partner's hold over his mouth. "We may never get another scene like this again and _you_ wanted them to stop?!"

" _I_ felt it was appropriate for them to stop," Renamon said coolly, and something in her tone caused Terriermon to swallow. Seeing that he had finally quieted, she turned her attention to Takato. "I apologize," she said, offering the Tamer a small bow. "She had been celebrating with her family and perhaps celebrated a little too much. I will clear things up once she recovers."

Takato swallowed. "Will she be okay?"

"I believe so," Renamon said, smiling softly at the boy's concern. "This was only her first time sampling from her mother's wine selection. She hadn't had _too_ much to drink. Just enough to… _loosen_ her up, so to speak."

"If _that's_ loosening up, I'd hate to see what happens if she completely relaxes," Terriermon quipped. Renamon sent a dark glare his way again, to which he squeaked, "Sorry!"

"Come on, Takato," Henry said, brushing a hand against his friend's arm. "We'd better get go. She'll be okay with Renamon and her family watching out for her."

"Are you okay, Takato?" Guilmon asked, padding up to the boy, concern in his voice. Takato nodded numbly. His brain was filled with a thousand thoughts and feelings and not a single one of them could be pinned down. Rika had been trying to say something to him about how she felt. Trying to kiss him and it was all alcohol-fueled. No matter what happened, she was not going to be happy about tonight.

"Yeah," he nodded softly. "I just hope that we can still be friends."

" _Don't be stupid!"_ came Rika's angry call from the other side of the gate, causing all heads to snap up in surprise. _"Of course we will!"_

The gate jerked abruptly from the sound of something impacting it. Renamon sighed.

"I'll see to her. Goodnight."

With that, the vulpine digimon vanished from view, leaving the quartet to their own devices.


	2. Chapter 2

_The lights are turned way down low…_

_Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow…_

The festive, western music filtered in from somewhere deep in the house. Faint, but traveling. Rika thought of her mother as the most likely source due to her foreign travels and her fondness for the west. Not that she had any particular dislike for Christmas music from any country, but today she didn't feel the least bit in the mood.

 _At least it's got the right idea,_ she thought, peeking out from underneath the covers of her futon and wincing as the light of morning assaulted her temples. Promptly, she retreated back into the warm darkness, groaning irritably.

The sound of a flute whistling intruded on the silence the darkness promised. Rika didn't even to look to know the source of _that_ music.

 _Renamon…_ she thought.

"Good morning, Rika. How are you this morning?"

Rika felt hot as her cheeks flushed. In answer, she turned over onto her side so that her back faced her partner.

"Aside from the headache and the fact that I embarrassed myself last night in front of two of my best friends, I'm perfectly fine," she grumbled sarcastically. Inwardly, she wasn't sure which was worse. That she had behaved the way she had – attempting to _kiss_ Takato! – or that she had done so in front of _Terriermon._

 _He probably thinks I'm a creep now or something,_ she bemoaned, tucking the blanket about her head. The heat swirled about her, suffocating in its intensity. Rika made a grumbling noise, refusing to surrender to the needs of her lungs just yet.

"Well, at least there's something at which you can remain perfect at," came Renamon's teasing response. Beneath the blanket, Rika scowled and soon unfurled the futon and rose up into the chill, morning air. Her violet eyes met Renamon's azure ones defiantly, barely noticing that the vulpine digimon had a glass of water in one hand.

"You're making fun of me," Rika said accusingly.

"I thought it might elicit a response from you that would untangle you from bed. It prevents me from having to remove you myself."

Rika's scowl furthered, not at all sure if her partner were being serious or not. Renamon rarely acted in such a way, save when she felt her partner was being 'bratty.' To date though, she had never tumbled anyone out of their bed to get them out of it.

 _Then again, I've never had trouble getting out of it before,_ she thought, sighing in resignation. Drawing back the rest of her blanket, Rika climbed to her feet.

"Fine. It's about time I got up anyway." She glanced over at the clock and winced, seeing the time blinking at her. Only eight in the morning, though for her it was unusually late. "What are we doing today that needs me up, anyway?"

"I was under the impression that you desired to 'clear the air' with Takato today." Renamon offered the fire-haired girl the glass of water. Rika reluctantly took it and drank it down in one go.

"Oh," she said, wiping at her mouth. "Right."

Renamon cocked her head to one side, taking the glass back. "Is something the matter?"

"No. No. It's fine." Shaking her head, Rika made her way over to her dresser and began to sort through her clothes, having forgotten to lay any out last night. "I'm sure it'll just be normal. Just Takato being a Gogglehead, drawing the wrong conclusions while I put on an angry front to keep him from jabbering the way he usually does. Same as usual."

"Well, at least you admit it's a front," Renamon said. Placing the cup on one of her shelves, she took up Rika's futon and rolled it up. Padding over to the closet, she put it away. Rika snorted, considering her selection of shirts. Red, black or blue? What message did she want to send Takato?

_Red will probably put him on his guard. Black will probably make him freak out. Blue it is then._

If there was one thing she liked about Takato, it was that his behavior was, for the most part, reliable, even if he himself wasn't predictable.

 _Like…_ she thought, quickly swapping out shirts. The word made her glance up at the photo on the far side of her room. The picture of herself, Henry and Takato, several years younger and wearing summer clothes at Okinawa. A rather ill-timed adventure, as so often happened in her line of work as a Tamer. She hadn't been terribly thrilled then either, having been less close to the duo back then. Yet, in the intervening years since then, things had changed.

More things than she initially thought, if her behavior last night had been any indication.

Blushing, she hurriedly glanced away from the photo and hurried to finish getting changed. Even though she knew it was just a photograph, she felt as though those eyes of that long-ago Takato were on her. She resisted the urge to plant it face down to hide those warm, red-colored irises of his.

 _I'm not going to lose to him or even a_ picture _of him. I'm not!_

"Stupid…"

"Rika?"

"Just talking to myself, that's all." Buttoning up her jeans, Rika snatched up her belt and socks and quickly put them on as well. Renamon raised an eyebrow.

"Are you planning on leaving now?"

"I want this done and over with as quick as I can. I should have taken care of this last night after I sobered up…"

"As I recall, it was late at the time. And you were rather busy complaining about Takato to Jeri."

Rika's blush positively _darkened_ in recollection. The poor girl had been tired out from helping her father at his tavern and about to bed down when she buzzed her. How Jeri had managed to keep her patience over such poor timing she had no idea.

"I'll have to apologize to her too," Rika muttered. _How the heck did I end up needing to apologize to her and Takato and not Henry? You'd think I would need to because of Terriermon or something. His mouth is big enough. Ugh. I can't believe how stupid all this is._

Making her way over to where her cellphone was currently charging, she snatched it up and typed up a quick message. _Sorry about last night. Mom got me buzzed when I got news about my university acceptance. I wasn't in my right mind. Sorry again. I'll see you later._

Not quite as short as she was used to, but after all the droning on and on she did about how mad Takato made her, taking the time to write out a few more sentences couldn't hurt.

"All right," Rika said, pocketing her phone. "Now to get my jacket."

"You're not getting breakfast first?" Renamon asked.

"I'll get something at Takato's. I…" Her pocket buzzed. Taking out her phone, Rika quickly read Jeri's response.

_It's all right. I kind of figured something like that happened._

Rika grimaced. "Renamon? I…wasn't _that_ drunk, was I?"

Renamon lifted an eyebrow. "Well, you were more _open,_ shall we say? And strangely possessive of Takato and the bread he gave you."

Rika massaged her forehead. That didn't tell her much. But then, she didn't have much to compare it to except what she saw on TV and the one Christmas party her family threw together for the Tamers back when she was 16. Henry had a little too much eggnog then and gotten a little loopy. She knew her behavior hadn't been great – as evidenced by her attempted, forceful kissing of Takato – but had her drunkenness been _that_ obvious that Jeri could tell over the phone?

_Then again, it's not every day that I just call her up late at night, out of the blue and start ranting about our gogglehead. She's probably seen a lot worse than me at her family's tavern. She has talked about how she's had to help throw out drunk customers._

She sighed. _Well, either way, it doesn't tell me the one thing I really want to know._

"Renamon? Do I… _like-like_ Takato?"

Renamon watched her silently before asking, "What do you think?"

Rika gave her partner a hard look. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking. You're…more 'observant,' I guess you could say about me and how I feel about things. So, I figured, maybe you picked up on something."

Renamon cocked her head to one side, giving Rika's concern the careful consideration it deserved.

"You seem to value his presence more than the others," she said finally, her response slow and deliberate, weighing out her words. "Other than that, I could think of any number of things that _might_ be suggestive of feelings, but I feel it would be better if you weren't being prejudiced in your conclusions. So…what do _you_ think?"

Rika's eyes became downcast. She didn't like her partner's response – or rather, the lack thereof. But what other answer was there? Renamon knew a lot about her, but even she didn't know everything.

 _What am I going to say to him?_ she wondered, drawing away and exiting her room wordlessly. That question seemed to be an important path to take. _'Clear the air,' I said, but what does that even mean? That last night meant nothing? That he shouldn't take it seriously?_

Her lips pinched, thinking about how he would respond. He wore his feelings on his sleeve, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make an effort to hide them if he thought they would hurt someone. She had been aware his crush on her. His brief switch to calling her 'Nonaka-san' had been her first clue, followed by a year of odd, awkward behavior where he seemed to stumble even worse over his words whenever she was around. While flattering in some sense, it was also worrisome, if only slightly. She remembered largely having brushed it off as a mere phase he was going through. Perhaps even a rebound from Jeri, who had rejected him some years before. No doubt he had thought those things as well and didn't want to burden her by not telling her how he felt, especially if he believed that she felt nothing in return beyond friendship . Takato could be dense, but he wasn't the sort to just sit on his feelings if he were sure about them.

Making her way into the living room, she found her mother seated at a table, watching a holiday special on TV. Hearing her approach, Rumiko looked up and smiled.

"Good morning, Rika," she greeted. "You're up awfully late. Well, at least for you. Are you feeling okay?"

"Swell," she grumped. "Listen, Mom. I'm…going to be heading out for a while."

"Going to see a friend?" Rumiko's eyes seemed to shine knowingly and Rika felt her stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Something like that. I…um…might have said some things to Takato that I shouldn't have."

Rumiko gave a light laugh. She tried not to, and she blushed in embarrassment as she did. Rika frowned.

"Mom…"

"Sorry. I don't mean to. I just…" She gave a sudden _snerk_ noise. "Sorry again." She waved at her daughter. "I might have overheard some of what you said to him when you were talking to him."

Rika felt her heart plunge into her stomach as she blushed in humiliation. "Ugh. Great. Does everyone in the stupid city know too?"

Rumiko frowned now. "Rika… It's perfectly fine to like someone. I mean, you could have gone about it better, but…"

"I _don't…!"_ Rika began angrily, only to abruptly stop herself. She felt her lips twist about her denial in defiance of it. Her face heating up, she struggled to finish the sentence, only to find herself unable to do so. An image of Takato's face, a smile crafted to hide how he really felt, crept up in her mind and brought her up short. Rika clenched her fists at that, suddenly becoming angry. She found that the thought of him trying to hide his feelings from her in an effort to protect their friendship – despite whatever disappointment or hurt he felt if she rejected him – hurt.

 _I guess that crush meant more to me than I thought it did,_ she mused in irritation. It didn't quite tell her what she wanted to know, but it felt concrete. Like a light in the dark.

Something inside her solidified and settled. Taking a deep breath, she unknotted her fists.

"Yeah," she said a bit throatily. "I _could_ have gone about it better." Her gaze hardened. "And I'm goingto."

"Oh my…" Rumiko's hand went to her lips, caught somewhere between giggling and concern for her daughter's friend. "Don't hurt the poor boy."

Rika _harrumphed._ What did her mother think she would do? Hit him? As if! At the very worst, she would tug at his cheek, as she was wont to do from time to time these last few years. For all his faults, Takato seemed incapable of making her mad enough to punch him.

 _In either case, he's too cute to punch anyway,_ she thought distractedly.

"I'll try not to pinch him," she reassured her mother, turning away. She paused, and then blushed as she realized the double meaning of her words. A second later, it seemed, so did Rumiko as she _snerked_ again. Rika turned a baleful glare in her direction, but the older woman was not in the least bit intimidated.

"Go on," she said, struggling between giggles, waving her off. "But if it comes down to pinching, make sure that's _all_ you do."

 _Walked right into that one._ Rika rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Ugh. I'm out of here."

Storming off, Rika stopped just long enough to snatch her jacket from off its coat hanger and then grab her shoes. As she exited the house, Renamon materialized by her side.

"Would you like me to take you there?" she asked. Rika shook her head, and she felt the tangled mess in her mind as she did so.

"I need some time to sort things out," she said. "Hopefully by the time I get there, I'll have figured out what to say to him."

Renamon nodded respectfully and with that, she vanished from view. Rika could still feel her however, hovering at the edges of her senses. A constant source of comfort and strength, always there and close for when she needed it. Rika swallowed nervously, heading down the path toward her home's gate.

 _Figure out what to say… That's a joke. I had a hard enough time admitting to myself that I cared about Renamon. If the past means anything, I'm going to run a groove in the ground long before I figure anything out. Ugh. Takato… You'd_ better _do yourself a favor and_ be _there when I get to your place! Otherwise, I'm going to pinch your cheeks right off!_

**###**

Takato shrugged out of his pajama's top. Wakefulness was slow in coming just as sleep had been scant hours before and it showed in his sluggish movements. In spite of this, his red-colored eyes fell upon the shirt hanging off the back of his desk's chair. Light blue-colored raglan sleeves against a white chest, broken only by the full-heart emblazoned at the center.

Just as before, as it had been nearly without letup, his mind turned back to trying to figure out just what happened last night and what it meant between him and Rika. And just like then, it came up with nothing.

 _It's like a bad dream,_ he mused, the full-heart staring at him. _I mean, a good dream. I mean, well, if Rika hadn't been drunk at the time it'd be a good dream. I mean…_

Takato's eyes slid shut and he ran a hand through his messy hair.

_None of this makes sense. I've gone crazy. That's the only logical answer, right? I've gone nuts and I'm imagining her old shirt hanging off my chair for some reason._

Stranger things had happened to him in his life and he felt tempted to believe that his losing his mind was the most likely thing that happened. Unfortunately, Henry, Terriermon and Guilmon had all been there and were all able to attest as to what happened. The shirt was real. Rika had been slightly tipsy and she had almost kissed him. Even going so far as to tell him not to see other girls. A part of him wanted to be happy. The knowledge that she had feelings for him – or at least appeared to – should have made him giddy with joy. Instead, he could only question his sanity.

 _She never seemed to want to be more than friends for as long as I've known her,_ he thought. _I mean, sure she teased me a few times about 'being in love with her' when we were kids, but she never meant anything by it. Even after my slipup with her name, she just seemed to want to be my friend. Last night…couldn't have meant anything._

_Could it?_

Approaching the chair, he laid a hand on the smooth, worn fabric. It brought back memories of comforting hugs. Her scent, a combination of sakura petals and a fresh, spring rain beneath a warm sun, followed them and his thumb traced along the shirt's surface.

_Rika… Why?_

Feeling a little bit like a creep at the attention he was giving the old shirt, he withdrew his hand. A moment later, there came a low scratching noise at the door.

"Takato?" came Guilmon's call as the door slid open. "Your mom wants to know what's taking you so long."

"Sorry," the boy replied, glancing back at his partner. "I'll be down soon, boy."

Guilmon smiled. "No need to apologize. Your mom says that if you take too much longer, I can have your breakfast."

"You're obsessed," Takato chuckled while Guilmon laughed at their old joke. The mood felt strange to Takato however and didn't feel like it fit him. Like the shirt, it was several sizes too small.

Guilmon tilted his head at him questioningly, noticing that his partner was bare from the waist up and standing in front of Rika's shirt.

"Ah… Are you going to put on Rika's old clothes? Is that why you're taking so long?"

"N-No!" Takato hastily stammered out, a blush erupting across his face. _Where does he come up with these crazy ideas?_ "I'm just…just thinking about last night."

"You've been thinking about it a lot since we got home," Guilmon said, stepping into the room. "You didn't want to talk about it then. Do you want to now?"

"I…" Takato scratched the back of his head before turning away. "I don't even know what to say."

"But it's so easy. You're worried about whether or not Rika likes you, right? The way you used to like Jeri?"

Takato turned back toward his partner, eyes growing wide with amazement. Guilmon grinned.

"See? I told you it was easy."

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that," Takato said, a corner of his mouth quirking slightly in a smile. "But…yeah. I am worried. And…worried about whether or not what happened will hurt our friendship. I…" He cast a glance back at the girl's old shirt. "I don't want to lose her. Even if she doesn't like me the way I like her, I don't want to lose her."

He winced outwardly, feeling his heart clench in his chest. His mind was already turning toward what she might say to him once they saw each other again. The awkwardness would be there, that much was for certain. She would tell him that they couldn't stay friends after what happened. That it would make things too weird between them, especially with how he felt about her and how she couldn't return those feelings.

 _It'd be my fault,_ he thought. _If I hadn't slipped up that one time, this might never have happened. She knows me. She can read me like a book. She couldn't have missed how I referred to Jeri back then and how I referred to her. She'd make the connection. Even if she didn't notice it consciously, it probably influenced her subconsciously or unconsciously or whatever it is and it came out after she got enough to drink and…and…_

"Takato?"

"Ah! W-Wha…?" Takato looked back over at Guilmon, who was looking at him questioningly. It took him a second to realize that Guilmon had been trying to ask him something and he had been completely lost in his thoughts. "Sorry. Um… What did you say?"

"I was wondering why you think you might lose Rika. I mean, isn't she still friends with Ryo? Oh, and Kazu?"

Takato frowned slightly. "Kazu's not _that_ bad," he said. "I know she likes to complain about him a lot, but they just butt heads sometimes. That's all."

 _At least he stopped with the staring,_ he added mentally. Puberty had been such a confusing time for everyone, not to mention painful. "And as for Ryo… Well, it's kind of hard not to like him. I mean, like she always said. He's perfect."

"Even though they argue a lot whenever she sees him?"

"Well, Rika likes to argue and he's her rival."

He pressed his lips together tightly. If there was _anyone_ he thought Rika had feelings for, at least of the romantic variety, it was Ryo. He couldn't quite explain it out loud or even to himself mentally, but he understood on a deep level that the two complimented each other well and had a yin-yang balance with one another. Rika was a sorcerer and worked well with him on the front lines, and his technological elements contrasted her magic in a more upfront way.

 _Even their digivices are like yin and yang,_ he thought, pushing away from his chair and heading over to his dresser. Picking through it, he searched for clothes with which to be presentable. _They're opposites, but they're also a lot alike and pretty competitive. Plus, Ryo looks pretty handsome and he's got a lot of confidence to go along with his skill. And he always knows the right thing to say. What's not to like about him? Rika's always had a hard time talking about how she feels, so maybe her arguing with him is like a way to show that she's interested?_

Of course, Takato knew he was playing at hypotheticals. He knew very little about how Rika felt when it came to romance, as she herself astutely observed last night and many other times before then. But if he were to put money down on anyone, it was Ryo.

And yet…last night tugged at his doubts, pulling them in a new direction. With a frown, he pushed them back on the previous path.

_Time to stop dreaming about what-ifs, Takato. There's no way Rika would like you that way and you know it. After all these years, do you really think that she wouldn't just tell you if she didn't feel the same way?_

Experience, recent and not-so-recent, suggested that she very well might not. Takato ignored that too, not wanting to feel hopeful. After Jeri, he didn't dare feel hopeful, nor did he feel right wanting to. Rika was her own person after all and not a prize to be won.

That didn't stop his heart from feeling the way it did however. Hope continued to spring eternal as his thoughts circled back to last night once again like water going down the tub drain.

"Hmmm… I don't get it. You sound like you're different or something. But you're still friends with Jeri even though she didn't return your feelings."

Takato hummed at that. Guilmon had a point there. But he was forgetting one crucial thing. "Rika's different from Jeri though. And that makes _me_ and how I feel about her different. How I feel about her might make me look like a problem. And she has a hard time trusting people. I don't know if she could trust me. I don't know if _I_ would trust me."

In his mind, he thought of a time back during their first adventure. Backed into a corner, he had born witness to a friend of his, a digimon named Leomon, being murdered and loaded. A permanent death as far as digimon went. He hadn't reacted well and forced Guilmon to digivolve into whatever he thought it would take to protect everyone else. Even if it meant turning his partner into a monster.

 _Could_ he trust himself with how he felt? The question had been hanging in the back of his mind for years, never quite being answered. At least in his mind despite righting the wrong he had made shortly after the incident occurred. The potential for further wrongdoing, after all, remained.

Guilmon didn't appear convinced by his partner's reasoning. "Don't you think you're skating on sausages, Takato?" he asked, stepping closer. "Sure, Rika's not Jeri, but she's never turned her back on a friend before. Why would she start now? So, you feel differently about her now than you used to. No big deal, right?"

 _Except, it_ is _a big deal,_ Takato thought. He kept this to himself though, not trusting his mouth and brain to work together well enough to convey what he was trying to say. Love _changed_ things. Rika knew that better than anyone. She loved her partner like a sister and she had found _that_ frightening when she first realized how much she cared.

How would she react now? Skating on sausages didn't quite describe it.

 _But then…why would she try to kiss me if she didn't feel the same way?_ a part of him wondered. _Why would she tell me to wait for her? Or give me her old shirt as a present? Why…all of last night?_

There was that hope again. He shook his head.

"Sometimes…I wish I could just turn off how I feel," he murmured. "It sure would make things a _lot_ easier."

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

_"Hey! Gogglehead!"_

_"Whaaa…!"_

Takato's surprised squawk broke across his thoughts, as did a shirt and pair of pants. Whirling about, he saw Rika and Renamon standing on the metal porch outside his room's glass door, the latter of whom was staring at him, arms crossed, hip cocked impatiently and an expression that at once mixed between irritation and curiosity. As her violet eyes looked at him, raking along his bare chest, something seemed to dawn within their lilac depths and crimson graced her features.

With the morning light framing her commanding figure and her blushing face, Takato thought she looked beautiful. Unfortunately, he was not in the frame of mind to appreciate the moment. Hastily snatching up his shirt, he tugged it on, his head briefly getting stuck in one sleeve before he forced it back the way it needed to go. The tag stuck out from the front, but Takato didn't yet notice. Instead, he rushed over to the door and jerked it open.

"Rika!" he exclaimed. "What…?"

"We need to talk," she said. Tilting her head, she frowned at him and then pointed with one finger. Blinking, he looked down at himself and the tag tickled his throat. With a quiet curse, he quickly turned it back around.

"Sorry," he said, settling himself down. "Anyway, about what you were saying? You said…?"

"…that we need to talk," Rika interrupted, shifting her arms. "About last night." A pause before she continued with, "About us."

Takato felt his heart crack. _Ah, nuts…_

"Right," he said, nodding uncomfortably, feeling his heart jack up its hammering in his chest.

"Your dad already knows I'm up here," Rika added, looking away and shifting her arms again. "I ran into him down below. He gave me permission to take this route."

"Right," Takato repeated, nodding again. It was a strange thing to mention after opening with the need for them to talk, but Takato had an idea that it was meant to buy her some time. Time to sort out her feelings and pick her words. He scratched the back of his head. "About…About last night…"

He ran a tongue along his lips, realizing just how dry his mouth had gotten in the short time since their arrival.

 _Why is this hard?_ he wondered, his brain buzzing as he tried to make his mouth work.

Fortunately for him, Guilmon came to his rescue, waving a big, clawed hand and smiling happily.

"Rika! Renamon! Hi! Would you like some breakfast? Takato's mom is about to give his away. She said I could have it, but if you're hungry I'd be more than happy to share with you."

"Rika _did_ skip breakfast to come here," Renamon said, and Rika shifted her balance, looking embarrassed.

"I just wanted to get this over with," she murmured. Takato winced at that, but gestured for her to come in.

"Well, probably a bad idea to have this conversation on an empty stomach." He paused, realizing how that must have sounded, and the position it put Rika in. An invitation to a boy's room while having a problem with said boy.

 _That could have come out better…_ he thought before quickly amending. "Er… I mean, maybe it'd be a better idea if you went in through the front door?"

Rika frowned at him in confusion at first before the puzzle pieces slipped together.

"I'm fine going through this way," she said, stepping forward and brushing past him without so much as a backward glance. "But I'd much rather talk first before eating. My stomach's still doing cartwheels." She paused before adding, "From my mom's wine. Not you."

Turning back at him now, she gave him a small, comforting smile. Takato's own stomach clenched as his heart sighed with longing.

_Pretty…_

"Um… How about you, Renamon?" he asked, trying to distract himself. "Do you want anything? You know my mom always likes to treat you."

"I think I could do with a little something," the vulpine digimon said, entering the room as well. Approaching Guilmon, she brushed the Rookie dinosaur with her tail. "Perhaps Guilmon could make a suggestion?"

"Huh?" the reptile blinked before understanding dawned in his golden irises. "Oh. Ohhh… Come to think of it, Takato's dad made a nice, peanut butter-filled bread with chocolate frosting on the outside."

"At least it's not deep-fried tofu this time," Rika muttered, approaching Takato's desk and looking at her old shirt, still draped along the back of the chair.

"I learned my lesson!" Guilmon said. Takato gave a light, mental laugh in recollection. Discovering Renamon's love for deep-fried tofu had been amusing and one of the rare times that the warrior-kitsune had been put off her guard.

 _Who would have thought Renamon'd resemble the mythology_ that _much?_ he thought as Guilmon led Renamon out of the room. The door slid shut behind them, leaving the two teens alone in the room.

Takato turned to look back at Rika. She remained fixated on her old shirt, her expression melancholy. He gave a light cough and she looked up at him.

"So…About what you wanted to talk to me about? You wanted to tell me to pretend last night didn't happen, right? Or that it didn't mean anything?"

At that, Rika scowled at him. Takato blanched mentally, wondering what he had just stepped into.

"You _really_ think I'd come here to say something like that?" she asked, her tone harsh. Takato pressed his lips together. Still, as he knew full well, honesty was the best policy to pursue when it came to Rika, no matter how much it hurt.

"The thought did come to mind."

"Don't be stupid," she said, looking away as a faint blush rose once more in her cheeks. "For one, we wouldn't be _able_ to pretend it didn't happen. _Terriermon_ saw. Henry wouldn't say anything, but there's no way that stupid little rabbitmon would let us forget." Rika looked back at Takato, her harsh expression softening. "And it wouldn't matter anyway. Because last night _did_ mean something."

Takato blinked at that, a bit surprised. Rika shifted her footing, feeling a bit uncomfortable by his gaze.

"Be honest with me, Takato. It meant something to you, didn't it?"

Now it was Takato's turn to look away. A part of him wanted to say no, it didn't. But at the same time, he refused to lie to her. To Rika, his being honest meant a lot, and even before he discovered his feelings for her, he cared about her enough to not want to lie.

"Yeah," he said, looking back at her and meeting her lilac eyes. "Yeah, it did. And I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Huh?"

Annoyance flashed in her eyes and she drew away from her old shirt.

"I'm saying, _don't be._ Do I have to spell it out to you? I'm not…" _I'm not good at saying these things,_ she thought wanted to say, but that didn't quite say what she felt. So instead, she said, "I don't _do_ things if they don't mean something to me. Even if I don't understand what that something means, if something's important to me, I'm still going to act on it. Sure, I might get mad but…" She trailed off, seeming to struggle with something before continuing. "…but that only means that I care a lot about what's going on and about…about who's involved."

Her eyes met his again, and now both their faces were painted red.

"Rika…"

"Don't… Don't say anything." Rika shifted on her feet and glanced away. She looked nervous to Takato. He couldn't blame her. Seeing her look this way though made his heart ache. He wanted to try and help make this easier for her.

"Okay," he said, nodding. The desire to comfort her grew and much to his surprise, he found himself approaching her. Her eyes snapped up to him and the color in her cheeks grew at his proximity. He raised a hand to her, only to hesitate at the last instant. Crimson met violet, both searching one another for some kind of sign between them. Then, as if on some unspoken agreement, Takato's hand came to rest on her shoulder just as she leaned into his touch. Unfolding her arms, she wrapped them about his back and drew him to her wordlessly, a gesture that was matched as Takato's remaining hand found its way to the back of her head. His fingers traced along the strands of her hair and she sighed, drawing in his scent.

"I keep forgetting how big you've gotten," she grumbled, voice half muffled by his sleeve as his face came to rest on her forehead. "It's not fair."

Takato gave a dry chuckle and rocked her in his arms. "Sorry."

Rika's arms tightened about his waist. "Don't be. It's not like it's something you could help."

Takato nodded numbly against her, feeling a painful lump in his throat. "Rika… Are we good?"

"Don't be stupid," she replied. "You've got nothing to apologize for. I… _I_ should. After last night…" She pressed closer to him, her voice becoming thick with emotion. "I put you in a weird spot. Because I couldn't admit to myself how I…I…"

Her fingers drew tight against his back and Takato felt her tremble slightly in his arms.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, massaging her back. "As long as we're good. I…I don't want to lose you. However you feel, it's okay." He gave her a tight, comforting squeeze that she readily returned, if harder. Takato grunted in surprise at the strength in her arms. Was she trying to compete with him about who could hug harder?

"You're such a gogglehead," she grumbled, but he could hear the smile on her lips as she spoke. Annoyed, but grateful. Takato laughed.

"Are you still up for breakfast?" he asked. Rika _hmphed._

"Not exactly how I imagined our first date would go."

Takato went rigid at that. "When…When did we start dating?" he asked, honestly baffled. Rika gave him another hard squeeze.

"When you asked just now, duh." Drawing away, she fixed him with an introspective look as he looked at her, utterly baffled. "I'm willing to give it a try if you are. Now come on. Guilmon said that your breakfast is up for grabs." She smirked at him playfully. "Or if you'd rather, we could make it interesting and play for it."

"Okay, now _that's_ not fair!" Takato laughed. He wasn't sure what was going on, but if Rika was fine with this, he had no other choice than to do his best to make it work.

The Digimon Queen gave his shoulder a light punch.

"All's fair in love and war," she said. "So, are we doing this or not?"

Takato's expression sobered. Reaching up, he brushed at one of the strands of hair that came out past her ear and down her cheek. She didn't recoil or flinch at his touch. Instead, the blush that somehow managed to constantly color her cheeks since her arrival deepened.

"If that's what you want," he said softly. "As long as it's what you want. So, if you're sure…"

Rika's stomach _gurgled_ in answer before he could finish. Rika's blush again darkened in embarrassment.

"That's as good an answer as I think you're going to get, Gogglehead," she chuckled.

**###**

Stepping around him, she paused and after a moment's thought, took hold of the boy's hand. It felt warm and strong as she squeezed and he squeezed back. It felt…good. _Right._ Not quite what she expected, but a welcome feeling all the same.

With a gentle tug, Rika led him toward the door. A part of her wondered if this was truly all right. She hadn't quite been able to tell him how she truly felt after all. She wasn't entirely certain of the extent of those feelings either. They had snuck up on her after all, taking her completely by surprise and only coming to the forefront when she had some of her mother's wine.

 _Why…didn't I notice them before?_ she wondered, giving his hand another squeeze as they went down the stairs together. There _was_ something there. That much she couldn't deny and those feelings were strong enough that they refused to let her deny them any longer. Had it been because she had been so focused on getting into university that she simply pushed them aside? Or was she just fooling herself?

 _I tried to kiss him last night,_ she reminded herself. _Told him to wait for me and to not see other girls. That's not something a person does unless there's something more behind it._

She relaxed a little at that. The logic felt sound and she felt strangely happy holding his hand. So maybe…just _maybe,_ it was safe to explore and find out the depths of her feelings for her gogglehead.

"Um… About your shirt…" Takato began, reaching the bottom. "Your old one, I mean!"

Rika frowned slightly.

"What about it?"

"Do you want it back? I mean, you were kind of out of it when you gave it to me, and I know how much it means to you."

Her frown deepened as embarrassment once more washed over her. What did one say to a question like that? Especially with how bizarre the circumstances around its giving had been to begin with.

 _Might as well go all in on this one,_ she thought. When in doubt, wing it and hope for the best. That was how they tended to handle things after all.

"Keep it," she said upon reaching the landing. "Not that I think you need any reminders, but I'm sure you'd like one handy while I'm at university. Just don't do anything weird to it, okay?"

"Weird?" Takato arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Forget it," Rika said rolling her eyes and not doubting his question's sincerity. Takato could be hopelessly naïve sometimes, a fact that she occasionally had to remind herself of from time to time. That wasn't Takato's fault per se. Just a difference in how they approached the world. He took things as they appeared more often than not while she habitually tried to look deeper, sometimes with an eye for the worst in people.

It was one of the things she liked about him. She kept him grounded, but he also kept her optimistic about the world; kept her wanting to bring out the best in people, just as he did.

They found their partners in the kitchen, Renamon lightly swatting Guilmon's claws away from her tail where, much to Rika's surprise, a tiny bit of mistletoe was stuck on the tip.

"Oh, but Renamon, I almost had it."

"It's all right, Guilmon. Just let me take care of it."

"Do I even _want_ to know how that came about?"

Renamon whirled about, her tail arching up and high, sweeping up to the two Tamers, causing them to jerk back in surprise at her swift and unexpected motion. Her feet coming to rest, Renamon bowed her head to her partner, a mischievous twinkle in her azure eyes.

"Oh dear," she said. "My apologies. My tail caught some mistletoe in it by accident. Guilmon was attempting to remove it, but it seems quite…stuck."

As if to lend credulity to her excuse – which Rika didn't believe her in the least! – she swept her tail about to show off the offending Christmas decoration. It was indeed caught up in the golden hairs of her tail. That wasn't all there was though.

It also towered over the two teens.

"Ohhh… And the two of you were underneath it!" Guilmon crowed. Tapping a claw on his chin, the reptile looked up at the fox. "Does that mean they should kiss now?"

"That all depends on Rika," Renamon said, planting a hand atop Guilmon's head and giving it a gentle scratch. Guilmon's eyes rolled up into his head and he leaned into her touch. Rika glowered at the two digimon.

 _"I know you planned this, Renamon,"_ she half-growled to her partner through their psychic connection. Renamon didn't respond, save to pluck the mistletoe from her tail, her eyes shining with amusement.

Well, she could forgive her. It offered her an opportunity – not to mention an excuse – to explore her feelings some more.

She turned to Takato, who shrugged with embarrassment. "It's a Christmas tradition," he offered. "But you don't have to do anything if you don't…"

"Why don't you just shut up and come get some Christmas cheer, Gogglehead," she said, pulling him toward her. Her lips parting, trembling ever so slightly in anxiety, they caught hold of his and pressed themselves to him tightly. Pleasant warmth immediately flushed her body, causing her to come alive with an excited buzzing, like a wire had gone live inside of her. She felt Takato stiffen against her, having been taken off guard by her forwardness. She smiled around his lips and took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, taking control of the situation and the warmth she felt grew in intensity.

All was fair in love and war, and this, she decided, was definitely love.

 _Merry Christmas, Takato,_ she thought as his arms finally remembered to draw about her slender figure and pull her close, throwing all remaining caution to the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to all Rukato fans (and Digimon fans!) out there. Stay safe and warm and have a good holiday. 'Till next time. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea floating around in the back of my mind since around last year or so, but attempts to get it to work never really fell through. Then I hit it up again a few weeks ago and I didn't get very far before forgetting about it. Today, it was like a dam broke. Not sure if I'll continue this, but I enjoyed putting together this little piece of much needed cheer. :)


End file.
